Altered Path Series 2: The Path Not Chosen
by Redsaber2020
Summary: What if Ping decided not to raise Po in his noodle shop but instead brought him before Master Oogway, who in turn ordered Shifu to begin his training, which sadly prevents the red panda from adopting Tigress.
1. Chapter 1

**I've decide to start up a series 2 of my Altered Path stories, going back to the beginning and focus on a different character or key event. This idea came to me a little awhile go where I wondered how different Tigress life would be like if she were never adopted by Master Shifu.**

**Enjoy**

Chapter 1

**Main Gates of the Jade Palace…**

Mr. Ping stood before the massive gates leading to the Jade Palace, home of Grandmaster Oogway, Master Shifu, and the red panda's pupil Tai Lung. At the goose's side was a chubby five year old panda—possibly the only panda left in China. Ping had decided to name the little one Po, and though he made a vow to raise the panda as his son, he found that he could no longer provide the kind of life Po deserved.

Po said nothing as the climb up the thousand steps was a bit much for the little one and was currently out of breath. A smile formed on Ping's face as he thought how bright and cheerful Po could be at times, and not to mention how clever he is. Only after a few years living together, the panda had learned each of his recipes. Ping had to keep the young panda guessing sometime when it came to making his special Secret Ingredient Soup otherwise he would have mastered it a long time ago.

After taking several more deep breathes, Po stood up, arching his back, thereby thrusting his chubby stomach way out. In doing so he tilted his head back farther than he should have while eyeing the entrance to the Jade Palace and before he could stop himself, Po stumble backward, falling down the steps.

"Po!" Ping cried out.

"I'm okay Dad," Po said as he climbed back up to stand beside the goose. Looking back down the long widening steps the panda smiled at view of the village and pointed while pulling down on Ping's tunic. "Hey Dad, I can see out house from here."

Ping chuckled at how Po saw the world around him, so full of joy and merriment. He only hope that the panda would be able to forgive him for what he was about to do.

"Say Dad," Po said turning back to the gates, "do you think we'll meet Tai Lung?"

"I don't know son, the Masters are very busy, keeping the peace and all."

"One day I want to be just like him," Po said and began punching and kicking the air around him, screaming out battle cries in a high pitch voice.

Ping chuckled once again as he watched his son play out his little fantasy, though turned to face the gates as he heard a soft grunt, and his eyes opened wide in shock and gave a solemn bow. "Po that's enough," he whispered glancing at the panda.

"Uh?" Po muttered turning while in mid-jab, though as he did, he was taken by surprise as his fist was caught by some old turtle, but not just any turtle, but Grandmaster Oogway. Po looked on in shock, mouth completely dropped, eyes so wide they could have fallen out at any moment. He stood completely still, too that afraid the slightest movement would set the grandmaster off and be tossed clear off the mountain. He began to relax however as he heard a faint giggle and tilted his gaze up to see a friendly smile on the turtles face. "Very interesting," he said in a low voice.

"What's interesting?" Po asked.

"Please forgive my son," Ping said quickly drawing Oogway's attention, "Ever since Po saw Tai Lung deal with a group of bandits a year ago, it's all he ever thinks about."

"It is quite alright Mr.…"

"Ping, great master," the goose said with a short bow, "I run the noodle shop down in the valley."

"And I get to have the left-over," Po chimed in with a smile.

"Po, please show the proper respect for the valley's grand master."

"No need to stand on such high standers Mr. Ping. Now may I ask what it is that brings the two of you all the way up here?"

"Well Grandmaster Oogway," Ping said in a nerves tone, "it is of a personal matter."

Oogway brought Mr. Ping and his panda son up to the main hall where the goose sadly explained the problem that confronted him. As it stood the recent increase in bandit attacks and harsh winter last year had greatly taken their toll on his shop, unable to receive fresh supplies to alarming decrease in profit, Ping simply did not have enough to support him and the panda. He had no wish to leave Po at some orphanage, and at least this way, allowing Po to stay in the Jade Palace would let them be together in the valley, some of the time anyway.

Oogway listen to the goose's problems, yet his attention drifted off toward the young panda. The aged turtle had met a number of pandas in the past, though never one who held an interest in kung fu. Though his style and grace were a bit sloppy, his form was nearly perfect, with the right measure of training, he would make for a fierce warrior.

"Very interesting indeed," Oogway whispered.

"Master Oogway?"

"Oh yes," Oogway said quickly shifting his attention solely upon the goose. "So you wish for Po to live here?"

"Yes Master Oogway," Ping answered, "I know that the Jade Palace is not the best place for children, but I truly believe he would be better…and safer…here than to be placed in orphanage where other kids might bully or mock him because he's a panda."

"Yes I see," Oogway said in a calm voice. "Well I see no harm in allowing the panda to stay here, though only if your son is willing to agree. I will not force this upon him, to choice between a place here or with his father.

The goose nodded a turned to face the panda saying, "Po, would you please come over here?"

Po had kept to himself while the adults were talking, eyeing the number of paintings, armor and weapons. He never thought in his wildest dreams would he ever be allowed to enter this place and now all he could do was gawk and stare at all the awesome stuff. Ever since he saw Tai Lung take down the rampaging bandits down in the valley all he ever wanted was to learn was kung fu. He even wrote down he wanted a set of throwing stars for his next birthday…granted he didn't really think dad would buy them. Dad was always going on about noodles this and noodles that, and though the idea of working with this father in the shop did sound like fun, it wasn't what he dreamt about doing for the rest of his life.

He had just came to stand before a small glowing urn that seemed to be whispering to him, when the sound of his father's voice startled him causing him to jump about, however as a result the vase Po had been admiring fell from its stand where it shattered, releasing a strange green mist. Po looked upon the broken remains and began to cry. His cries echoed across the room and he did not stop until he felt a soft grip along his shoulder. Looking up, Po gazed deeply into the eyes of the grand master and to panda's confusion he appeared sad rather than upset with his action.

"Why are you crying young panda?" Oogway asked in a tender voice.

"I…" Po said, his voice cracked with sobs, "…I broke…your pretty vase."

"Yes I can see that."

Fearing the worst, Po moved out of the turtle's grasp and spoke in a panicked voice. "But I'll put it back together. It'll be good as new, I promise."

"I see," Oogway said, appearing to ponder Po's claims. "Very well, repairing the Urn of the Whispering Warriors shall he one of your chores while staying here in the palace."

"Chores?"

"Yes," Oogway replied, his voice just as calm and leveled as when Po first saw him, "your father has requested you come to live here in the palace."

"What?" Po snapped his fear of breaking the vase forgotten as he turned on his father. "Is it true? Do you really want to give me up?"

"Oh by the gods, never!" Ping cried out rushing over to wrap his wings about the small panda, "I would never dream of doing such a thing. It's just that times are hard in the valley, and I'm worried that I won't be able to give everything you need."

Po returned the hug, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. "Will…will I ever be able to see you again?"

"Of course you shall see your father young panda," Oogway answered for Mr. Ping. "It would simply be uncalled for to force you to abandon your father completely," he paused as he tilted his head to the side as though in deep thought, "I shall have to work in some free time during your regular training routine."

Po's grim expression began to lift as a smile formed knowing that he would not have to lose his father, but he still appeared confused as he said, "What training?"

Oogway gazed deeply into the panda's jade eyes with such focus it was as though he were searching for something. Po found this stare a little unnerving, but said nothing less risk offending the old turtle. "Yes," Oogway said, his smile returning, "very interesting indeed." The ancient turtle then tapped his cane against the ground several times before calling out, "Zang?"

Po turned to the sound of wing flapping and saw a small duck flying toward them. He wasn't all that graceful; in fact he flew into a number of pillars before finally flopping down in front of them. "Yes Grandmaster Oogway?"

"Zang, would you be so kind as to escort young Po to the barracks and show him to a room. Once then please inform Shifu that I wish to speak with him."

"Of course Grandmaster," the small duck said in a cheerful voice, then turned to face Po saying, "if you will kindly follow me young panda."

Po was hesitant at first, but after an encouraging nudge from his father, the young panda fell in line with Zang though before he exited the Great Hall, he took one last look toward the aged goose and wave goodbye.

Mr. Ping returned the gesture, a single tear rolling down the side of face. He hated himself for doing this, but knew it was for the best. Turning to face Oogway, the old goose gave a solemn bow and said, "I'll return with some of his belongs, he doesn't really have that much, just a few spare sets of pants, and a small knife he used to carve wooden figures," he paused to release a playful chuckle, "I find it rather amusing at the level of detail he can put into his work at such a young age. It makes me proud to think how special he is."

"Yes," Oogway said, his attention still divided as a sudden realization dawned on him, "I do believe the time is drawing near."

Shifu, a red panda, and fellow master of the Jade Palace and teacher of kung fu, made his way toward the Great Hall. He considered himself lucky to have received Zang's message when he did as he was about to leave shortly, and though he always enjoyed his time with the aged turtle, he hoped it would not take too much of his time.

The training grounds were quiet this morning, which came as a surprise to Shifu. Normally his son Tai Lung was always in the dojo mastering his skill and though as his teacher, he could never openly admit how he held the snow leopard with high praise, and often smiled thinking that one day he would have the honor to refer to his son as the Dragon Warrior. A sudden thought just accord to him, causing the red panda to pause in his stride. Could Master Oogway possibly wish to see me because he's decided to name Tai Lung as the Dragon Warrior? The very idea brought a joyful smile to his face and quickened his pace to the Great Hall.

Upon reaching it he found his former teacher, Oogway standing before the Moon Pool. The flickering embers cast a gentle glow about the hall, Shifu took several deep breaths, washing away the notion as to why Oogway summoned him and said in a level tone, "You wished to speak with me Master Oogway."

"Yes my small friend," Oogway said turning to face Shifu, "I believe that I have just beheld a vision of great importance."

"Regarding what Master?"

"That will wait for later," Oogway said slowly walking away, "for now, we have a guest who will be staying here and I wish for you to begin his training in kung fu."

Shifu rolled his eyes, pouting on the inside. This is why you asked to speak with me? Just to ask me to train a new student. "Very well Master, I will begin his training later, but right now there is some—"

Oogway slammed the blunt end of his staff against the ground shocking the red panda into silence. Shifu gazed upon his master with a look of confusion, for never in all the years had he known the turtle to act so fiercely.

"Not later Master Shifu," Oogway commanded, his eyes narrow, the usual calm expression Shifu had known so well completely gone. "You will begin his training now."

"But why, what makes this one person so important to demand my swift attention?"

Oogway said nothing. He knew all too well of the red panda's praise and devotion he held toward Tai Lung and how he wished for the snow leopard to become the Dragon Warrior. He could not risk the slim chance that Shifu would reject his decision and strive to drive Po away from the Jade Palace. In the end, Oogway turned back to the Moon Pool his gaze pitted on something reflected in its still surface. "I have my reasons; now please carry out my wish."

"But Master Oogway," Shifu said looking a bit awkward, "I had hope to go to the Bao Gu orphanage today."

The aged turtle turned his neck so as to face Shifu, a solemn expression covering his features. "Have you managed to resolve Tigress's dilemma?"

"Yes of course," Shifu replied, "but I feel there is still much she could master if only removed from the orphanage and be allowed to express herself more openly. I thought that maybe if I were to adopt her I can help her find that kind of freedom and joy for life."

"I am deeply sorry my friend," Oogway said looking away from the red panda, "but young Tigress will have to find her own path in life. Your path awaits you in the student barracks. I would suggestion you not keep him waiting."

Shifu released a soft sigh, but said nothing more against the matter other than a nod and asked, "May I ask what my new student's name is?"

"His name is Po," Oogway said with a smile, "and believe me, you will know when you see him."

Po couldn't believe it. Here he was high atop the massive mountain top overlooking the valley, in the heart of the Jade Palace, and given his own room in the student barracks. The room Zang brought him to was rather spaces, much larger than his old room that was also where his father kept supplies for the shop, a simple bed with a roll and pillow sat in the middle of the room with a small chest up front, in the far right corner there was chair and desk that Zang said would be use for his studying. Everything was in complete order and cleaned to the point where it could almost shine. Po felt rather guilty though knowing that he was only here because his father could not support him. He was already missing the old goose, and wanted to be with him so badly, but for right now this was to be his home. The only bright side was that his room had a nice view of the valley and though he couldn't clearly see it, he knew his dad's shop was down there and that he would see him again.

Po was just about to a take an early nap before getting to work on fixing the urn when something caught his attention. Raising his muzzle to the sky, Po released a pleasing sigh at the smell of something sweet. The wonderful aroma caused his stomach to growl and with that he left his room and followed the scent until coming to a sight far more amazing than his room.

A fully loaded dining kitchen.

The room was massive, far grander and well built than his dad's. "Dad would flip if he owned a place like this," Po said with a slight giggle.

With his stomach still growling, Po decided to make himself a small batch of noodles. He'd seen his father do it many times and even allowed to work on his own a few times, but those had always been with his father to help point out his mistake. Po didn't feel all too worried though as this would be the perfect chance to see if he could coup without his dad to watch his back.

Pushing a stool over to the kitchen counter, Po climbed up and began looking for the items he needed for the soup. The kitchen layout was pretty much the same as his dad's so he had no trouble getting started, after filling a pot with water and bringing it over to the stove, easily starting a fire and jumped upon the billows several times to get the heat just right. As he waited for the water to boil, Po began to slice a number of onions and carrots mixing them up in their own bowl before working on the noodles. This was always the fun part of watching his dad work. As he rolled and stretched the strands of noodles, he envisioned his father standing beside him tossing up pinches of spice, after awhile he and father treated it like a game and it always brought a smile to his face when they villagers would come by to watch, always cheering and asking for more.

Satisfied with his work, Po stood up and carefully slipped the noodles and chopped onions and carrots, stirred it several times and was about raise a spoon for a taste when he heard a low angry voice from behind.

"Just what do you think you're doing here?"

Po spun about; eyes and mouth open wide, and slowly took a deep gasping breath as he raised his hands to the side of his face, for standing before him was none other than Tai Lung himself. "You…you're him…its him…I don't believe it…its really you…I'm so happy I can pee…can you sign my belly?"

Tai Lung stood before the door frame, eyeing the small panda with narrow eyes. "You have exactly five second to tell me who you are and what you're doing here before I toss you down the Thousand Steps."

Po's body snapped to attention, quickly saying, "MynameisPoPing,myfatherthoughtit wouldbegoodformetoliveherebecausehecouldnotproperlyprovideforme." Once finished the panda took another deep heavy gasp and went on to add just as swiftly, "ItsahonortomeetyouTaiLung, I'mlikeyourbiggestfan,pleasesignmybelly."

Tai Lung's annoyed expression slowly shifted to a mixture of confusion and astonishment as he turned his gaze away from the panda to whisper, "That was five seconds." He then shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose to allow the awkward moment to pass before saying, "Why don't we try this again…slowly this time."

"My name is Po Ping."

"Wait I know a goose by the name Ping, he owns a noodle shop in the valley."

"Yes," the young panda said with a smile, "he's my father."

"Really?" Tai Lung commented, eyeing the panda, "clearly you were adopted, what happened to your real parents?"

"Well he won't give me the full story, but I'm okay with that."

"Now then why don't you explain to me why you're up here?"

"My dad's noodle shop has fallen on hard time what with bandit attacks."

Tai Lung turned away from Po, a look of shame forming. "Yes and I wish to say sorry for that."

"Why would you need to say that? You didn't attack the village."

"And I did nothing to prevent it either," Tai Lung snapped though his voice carried none of the anger Po would expect from someone so fierce, if anything he sounded ashamed. "Despite all of our combined strength and skill, the three of us here in the Jade Palace have not done a decent job protecting the valley and for that I am sorry."

"It's alright," Po said behaving less rigid around the bulking snow leopard, "I'm still your biggest fan," he paused as he glanced into the large pot on the stove and went on with cheerful grin. "Say would you—"

"No," Tai Lung said waving his hand about him, "there is no way I'm going to sign your belly."

Po chuckled as he raised a wooden spoon to his lips. "I wasn't going to ask you that," he paused as he took a quick sip of his soup though whispered, "maybe later," while banging the spoon against the pot, the clanking sound drowning his comment out. "I was going to ask if you like some of my noodle soup. I was making a pot for myself, but I figure there's more than enough to share."

Tai Lung looked a bit uncertain. "I don't know," he said inching away from the panda's offer, "we mainly eat tofu, it keeps us fit and ready for battle."

"Oh come on," Po said placing two bowls on the table and calmly climbed a stool to get at his, after taking a few spoonfuls he glanced up at Tai Lung speaking in a mocking tone, "Don't tell me the fierce Tai Lung is afraid of a little soup?"

"Afraid!" Tai Lung snapped, this time showing a full array of anger. "Give me that blasted bowl." With that Tai Lung sat down and quickly shoved a spoonful of noodles in his mouth and yet instead of feeling sick, he found the panda's cooking wonderful. His eyes opened wide with amazement, taste buds on fire with flavor and quickly ate the whole soup in a matter of seconds. Po couldn't keep from laughing as the snow leopard even licked the bowl clean.

"Alright, I'll admit it," Tai Lung addressing the still laughing panda, "I like it. How ever did you make such a wonderful dish?"

"From watching my father," Po answered plainly.

"Well you must be a swift learner as to make such a tasty soup."

"And for his sake," a new grumpy voice said drawing their attention, "it better be the same for his training."

Tai Lung gasp and quickly stood up, brought his hands into a fist palm and bow slightly while saying, "Master Shifu, please forgive my bluntness behavior, I was merely speaking with the young panda."

"It's quite alright Tai Lung," Shifu said with a smile, though his steel blue eyes gave Po a small twinge along his back. "So you are to be my new student."

"I am?" Po asked.

"Yes," Shifu said harshly, "though when Oogway told me I would know this person when I laid eyes on him, I never expected you to be a panda. There is no record of a panda being a trained warrior; your kin are more suited to working on farms or mining ore because of your vast strength and stamina. I truly have my work cut out for me this time."

"Excuse me," Po said coming to stand next to Tai Lung, "but may I ask what's going on? Oogway mention something about my training. What kind of training will I have to do?"

"Po," Tai Lung said in a hushed whisper, "Shifu is one of the highly skilled kung fu teachers here in the Jade Palace, also rumored to be a member of the previous elite warrior team, the Furious Five."

Po's eyes widen and released a huge gasp. "Does that mean I'm going to learn Kung fu?"

"Though I still question Oogway's decision," Shifu said, "it is not my place to go against it."

"Awesome!" Po shouted. "When do we start?"

"Right now," Shifu said turning to leave, though paused as he eyed the young panda once again taking note of his clothes or lack thereof. "Though I would prefer you were wearing something more suitable for a student here."

It took quite a bit of time and forceful effort on Tai Lung's part, but Po now wore a dark yellow short sleeve vest with flame pattern along the lower half and a set of black slacks with a sliver trim. Afterwards Master Shifu and Tai Lung brought Po to a large building a short distance from the student barracks. Before Po could ask what this place was, Tai Lung leaned over and whispered, "This here is the Training Hall, I've spent a lot of my free time here mastering my skills."

"Cool," Po said with bright smile, "say, do you think I might be able to get a souvenir?"

"I heard that Panda!" Shifu snapped spinning around to face them, "and I'll have you know the only thing we collect here are bloody knuckles and broken bones."

Po's smile widen, pulling off a double fist pump. "That sounds awesome. So what now?"

Shifu was a little taken back by the panda high spirits, but knew it wouldn't take long for him to give up. The red panda turned away from Po and came to stand next to a small wooden pillar with a number of metal rods attached to the top, middle, and bottom. Shifu then spoke in a commanding voice while pointing to each section, "I want you to perform a three point attack to this pillar, with an upward open palm jab to the top, a punch to the middle, and follow up with a kick to the bottom."

Once finished, Shifu stepped aside appearing to wanting to give the panda some space though as he did, his ears twitched at the sound of Tai Lung whispering, "Master, should you have least warned Po about—"

"This is something the panda will have to learn for himself," Shifu countered, "it would do him no good if I were to hold his hand."

Though Tai Lung disagreed with Shifu, the respect he held for the red panda as his master and father, held the snow leopard's tongue and stood back, waiting for the mishap about to take place.

Po stood before the wooden pillar a bold expression forming on his face. "Okay, an upper jab here," the panda said thrusting his hand up, striking the rod, however the moment he did, the top section spun around bringing another rod about to smack him against the head. Po screamed in pain, clutching his forehead. He turned back to the pillar and went to punch the center thought only brought about similar result with getting hit in the side. When he tried to kick the bottom row, he found himself being tripped falling flat on his back.

"I don't get it," Po cried sitting up, he then glanced over to Shifu and asked, "What am I doing wrong?"

"Do you truly think that bandit are going to be standing completely still while you try and bring them down?" Shifu demanded his voice cold and harsh, eyes narrow, face so full of anger, an expression that Po only saw in his dreams. "If so then you are a foul. Every strike you make will often lead with a counter attack so you must learn to see them coming and how to avoid or block them before they cause any harm. Now do it again!"

Shifu watched as the panda stood back up and faced off against the wooden warrior, a small smirk began to form as he wondered how long it would be before the panda gave up so he could get back to training true warriors; however, that smirk soon became one of annoyance as not only did the panda refuse to quit, but failed to complete the most basic of fighting styles four time in a row. It vexed Shifu to no end to watch as the panda could not even grasp the most easiest of moves, yet also confused him as to why he didn't stop trying. He had heard that panda were a stubborn breed; maybe the case was true in this young one.

"Panda!" Shifu shouted.

"Yes Master Shifu?"

"Perhaps it would be for the best if we stop for today. I have other pressing matters to deal with, and I'm sure Tai Lung has to make his daily patrol in the village."

A low growl slipped through the snow leopard lips pitted against Shifu. "Speak for yourself old man," Tai Lung whispered, "I wish to see if this young panda truly has what it takes to be a kung fu warrior, he clearly has the heart of one."

The comment went unnoticed by the Kung fu teacher as he was focused on the young panda's pleas. "Please Master Shifu, just give me one more chance," he paused to face the wooden warrior once more, his eyes narrow and fist clinched, "I know I can do it."

Shifu released an angry groan. "Fine," he said turning away from the panda, "not that it will do you any good."

Po paid no heed to the red panda's rude remark as he focused his attention to the pillar. Though his body ached from head to toe, he wouldn't give up. Taking a few deep breaths to stead himself, images began to flash before as he recalled the first time he saw Tai Lung, as it played through his mind, a smile slowly formed as he finally knew what to do. Standing in a lopsided fighting pose, Po struck with an upper jab to the top section, his eyes rooted on the rods as they came around to hit him across the head, yet this time, Po was ready as he quickly duck to avoid the oncoming blow, still smiling, Po punched the center section, bringing his free hand up to block the rotating pillar, and followed up with a kick to the bottom, shifting the position of his feet at the last second to prevent being tripped.

"Amazing," Shifu said.

"And might I add wow?" Tai Lung whispered.

"How?" Shifu asked stepping up to the panda. "How did you figure out how to move like that without any proper training?"

"Well I kind of remember seeing Tai Lung do it when he faced off some bandits."

"Truly?" Shifu asked, and when Po answered with a solemn nod, Shifu leaned back, raising a hand to his chin, saying, "You've truly impressed me."

"Cool," Po said with a boyish grin, "so what else is there me to learn?"

"Don't you want to rest?" Tai Lung asked in a stunned tone.

"Are you kidding, this is awesome. I can keep this up all night. Please let me carry on Master Shifu."

"To be honest panda, I did not expect you to grasp this lesson so quickly. I'll have to think about this for a little bit to best determine the best means of training you. For now perhaps you can work on improving your reflexes. Though you managed to avoid and block each section of the rotating pillar, your timing could be better."

Po smile, mimicking the solemn gesture he saw Tai Lung do when Shifu first appeared, then went back to face the pillar resuming his training, punching and kicking while at the same time focusing his attention on each section to better ready himself to block an oncoming strike.

And thus began Po's training in Kung fu, to which would guide him down a path where some would never expect, and for another to be cast aside down one path which would required a great deal of strength, courage, and willingness to trust to ever find their way out again.

**Okay what the heck, I have never thought I could ever manage to pull off a chapter as long as this. I feel that I've really come along in my writing style. Well I hope you enjoy this and come back to see what I have planned for Tigress.**

**Please review**


	2. Chapter 2

**Now we shift to Tigress's part in this story, and I have to say that it may come off as rather dark and sad chapter. I hope you all enjoy what I have here and will stick with this story. Also I would like to give personal thanks to Pandafan91 for helping me out with this chapter to include some extra details.**

Chapter 2

**Tigress POV**

**_Bao Gu Orphanage…_**

The sun hug high in the midsummer day, casting long dark shadows across an open court yard where a small young female tiger sat…waiting. Her name, Tigress, though often enough she had been called far worse, sat all alone eyeing the main gates. She held a small satchel against her chest, the slightest shift in her posture brought a faint clicking sound from within the bag, which in turn caused Tigress to giggle. It was a strange sensation to her for it had been a long time since she recalled laughing…_laughed at_ was something she knew all too well.

Other children ran past her, causing her to tighten her hold on the bag. She could not allow anyone near this satchel, for it contain her most prize treasure, a set of dominos. She knew to most it would be foolish to treasure something so trivial, but to her it meant something far more. An old small creature with huge ears, chubby cheeks and a short fluffy stripped tail gave her these tiny blocks to help with controlling her vast strength. It had taken her a long time but in the end she proved to everyone including herself that she was more than just a monster.

Though they were greatly separated by age and species, she felt deeply grateful toward the red panda, wishing to see him again, and so that is why she sat waiting, eyeing the main gates with her treasure held close and tight.

"Just what to you got there girly?"

Tigress shifted her position to see a pair of young water buffalos coming toward her. They were new to the place and slightly older than most of the others making them feel superior to everyone, bossing and bulling about the square whenever the caretakers weren't looking. When word got around to them that everyone was afraid of her, calling her monster and what not, she figured it would drive them away; however, it only seemed to encourage them to bully her that much more. The biggest of the pair—a brute name Bron—stared dead fast into Tigress's eyes, his own eyes narrow as he lowered his gaze to her bag. "I said what do you got there?" Bron demanded slowly reaching for the satchel.

Tigress eyes narrowed, moving the bag out of Bron's reach. She wanted to do more than that however. She wanted nothing more than frighten them off with a low hiss, to rake her claws across their chubby noses, to drive her fist into their guts and send them crawling back under whatever dark rock they came from. But that was the old Tigress, the one who could not control her strength; that the only emotion she could express was anger and sadness, the one who everyone feared and called a monster. Until Shifu arrived and showed her another way, a better way to live and how to control her strength and she never wanted to go back to that life again, so instead, Tigress simply eyed the two water buffalos and said, "Just a gift some old kung fu teacher gave me."

The smaller buffalo, called Bane chuckled, leaning against his brother. "What fool would ever what to give you a gift? You're nothing but a monster!"

Though she had heard it countless times before, Tigress still cringed whenever called as such, and lowered her head, tearing her gaze from the two bullies.

Sadly her actions did not go unnoticed and a cruel smile formed on Bron's face. He whispered something in Bane's ear and the two of them began to jump about, screaming in a childish musical tone, "_Tigress is a monster, nobody wants her! Tigress the monster should be locked up good and tight!_"

This went on for several more minutes, each round sounding deeper and crueler than the last. Tigress sought to block their nonsense from reaching her with pressing her ears against her head and focused her attention on the main gates. Watching…waiting…pleading that Shifu would come and take her away from this place, yet as the sun drifted over the horizon and the caretakers began to close the doors for another day, something, some deep rooted fear in the tiger had to accept the fact that Shifu wasn't coming.

Bron and Bane were still tormenting her with the same god's awful lyrics and when she felt she could stand no more, one of the caretakers took notice and quickly rushed to intervene.

"Go and run along now you two," the sheep said pushing against the two boys, "You know full well what kind of damage she can cause."

Tigress hunched over, burying her face into the folds of her knees. _She wasn't trying to defend me, _she thought with a bitter taste in her mouth, _but simply wished to protect them._

Bron looked on with annoyed expression but did not question the caretaker's request. Tigress knew that he was too smart to get himself in trouble over something so trivial. Bane on the other hand was not completely finished. Bolting around the sheep, he snatched a full bucket of water, flinging it at Tigress, drenching her to the bone. The female tiger was never a fan of water and the sudden chill cause Tigress to scream; jumping from the bench, screeching in fright and quickly shook the water from her pelt. Looking up, Tigress glared at the two brutes, eyes narrow, grinding her fangs with her claws slowly extending, but through it all she managed to hold her temper in check.

"Hope you enjoy your bath, stinky monster!" Bane said with bouts of laughter.

Tigress rubbed the water, and tears from her face and though she was now cold and drenched, went back to sitting on the bench, holding the bag close to her body and eyed the main gate…waiting. Waiting for Shifu to come and take her away from this nightmare.

"Tigress?"

The young tiger turned her head and gazed up to see another caretaker. The aged sheep—Ellyn—looked on with a pleasant expression yet Tigress knew it was forced. Everyone was always afraid of her.

"Tigress," Ellyn repeated, "come along now so we can dry you off so you don't end up catching a cold."

"But," Tigress said shifting her gaze between the door and the sheep, "I was hoping that Shifu might come back to see me."

"Tigress, you have to understand that Shifu only came here because we were having so much trouble with you, but now you're more manageable he has other matters to deal with."

A part of Tigress believed that to be true. Who would willingly want to have anything to do with her unless they had to? But as she held her bag once more, her belief that Shifu truly thought she meant something more than just another mission, she just had to believe it.

"Can I just stay out for a little bit longer?"

"I'm afraid not my dear," Ellyn said, the subtle hints of a frown forming, "now after we get you in your room, I'll bring your meal."

"About that," Tigress comment shifting her gaze so that the sheep would not see her sadden face, "would it be alright if I ate with the others?"

"Now Tigress you know the rules here," Ellyn said, her voice no longer tender and sweet, but with a great deal of anger behind it, "we can't allow you to run amuck in the dining hall, not like last time."

"But I promise to behave this time," Tigress turned to face the caretaker, a pleading expression on her face. "Please."

"No," Ellyn snapped, "now for the last time go to your room."

Tigress would have pleaded with the sheep some more, knowing that nothing would go wrong this time, knowing if she could be allowed to act like a normal child instead of locked away in a dark room, then maybe she'd be happy, but as her eyes drifted down she could see the caretaker slide a hand along a narrow bamboo staff. Tigress released a weighted sigh, knowing she had lost her chance to reason with the sheep and had to choose her next words carefully. "Sorry Miss Ellyn," Tigress said, her voice low and riddle with despair, "I'll go to my room now."

"That's a good girl," Ellyn said with a sly smile.

Tigress walked with slow strides, trying to drag these last few moments of freedom as far as possible. She turned her ears around back toward the main square in hope of hearing Shifu call out to her, sadly all she could make out were the sound of the other children laughing and chatting among themselves as they sat down in the dining area. Ellyn walked beside her, most likely to ensure she did not try to escape again. They strolled down a lit hallway, passing a number of doors with children's name above them; Tigress knew each one even those who had recently been accepted by loving parents, and with each step they took, Tigress's expression grew grimmer by the moment.

As they reached the end of the hall, the lights grew faint as there was no torches attached to the walls, and maybe that was a good thing as it help to conceal the torment that awaited Tigress. With her gaze rooted to the ground, the young tiger could only listen and cringe as each lock was unlocked —a total of four, plus a solid iron bar which was placed over the door.

A painful shudder crawled down the length of her back all the way to the tip of her tail as the loud grinding sound of the door being opened to reveal a dark void before her, but Tigress did not require light to see what laid within for she knew all to well what awaited her inside... _Her_ room.

To the right just inside the doorway was a simple worn down wooden bed, with the frame barely able to hold itself gray sheets lying across it, now shredded along the edges, due to sheer age and the results of Tigress attempting to keep warm during the long from the "_bed_" was a small dresser that leaned overon the one side due to a rotted leg. The dresser also was covered in several claw marks and the dresser, the thick wooden walls were covered in narrow claw marks as Tigress sought to vent her anger in the past. The floors, cold and unwelcoming as well as splintered in several areas due to Tigress's claws scratching away at them whenever she simply walked across narrow windows lined the top of walls, with many thick bars running along their length, but it didn't really matter as she could never fit through them anyway. And although the windows were bared, there were no shutters for Tigress to open or close, allowing the frigid night air inside whenever it pleased to chill her to the bone.

Most would define this room as a prison cell, for Tigress this was her room; locked behind a thick iron door that even she could never budge, all to ensure the _safety_ of the other children so that they nevergot hurt.

"Must I?" Tigress wept, "I promise that nothing will go wrong."

A scowl formed on Ellyn's face, thrusting a hand toward the darken room, while the other fell upon the bamboo cane.

Tigress released another depressing sigh, shoulders slump and tail draped along the ground, the young tiger slowly entered the room. Once inside, the caretaker went to great lengths to close the metal door. Tigress would have offered to help, given her strength, but she knew it could be seen as an attempt to slip out and so Tigress merely sat down along the bed, the small bag still held close to her chest.

She stayed like this for several hours, her body rocking back and forth, holding the satchel the way a normal girl her age cradle a doll, eyes and ears darted back to the door in hope that it would open to reveal Shifu with open arms and loving smile to whisk her away from this place, yet the only sounds she heard were those of swift footsteps of the caretakers or hushed voice of other children. A terrible loneliness swept over Tigress, though she had become use to the feeling. She was always alone, even in a crowded room, no one ever gazed upon her for fear that the Monster Tigress might hurt them.

It seemed rather interesting that for someone so fierce and powerful, Tigress was at her core a timid soul. She never raised her voice or hardly ever asked a question, the only time she lashed out was if she felt threatened, angeredor fear, the only two emotion she truly knew. That is, until Shifu appeared and with him, he showed Tigress how to have fun. She'd never forget that and as the final rays of light flittered through narrow gap in the windows, she sent a silent pray to which ever god might be willing to listen, that Shifu would return someday, so that she could thank the red panda. Thank him that even in a room as dark and hopeless as the one she now sat in, that if she tried just hard enough, even she could begin to see just a little bit of light...a light of Hope.

When she finished the prayer, Tigress crawled down from the bed and sat down on the hard cold floor and opened her satchel, revealing the many dominoes within. With a small smile spreading across her face, Tigress gently began to take each dominos out of the satchel and began to stand them upright before her. The only sounds coming from her room this evening not being tears of loneliness, or sorrow. But being the ever so gentle clicks of a practiced paw placing the great treasures upright, just like the way Shifu taught her to.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Tigress's ears perked at the sound of the locks to her room slowly open. _Could he have come back? _She thought her eyes wide with excitement only to release a solemn sigh as a subtle breeze carried the all too familiar scent of Ellyn. Who else would it be? None of the other caretakers would dare come near her room, let alone open it.

"Alright Tigress," Ellyn said, her voice hard and stern, "Time to come out."

Tigress shifted her body along the worn out bed, her sensitive ears picking up on all the creaks and groans that came with the slightest movement. She often wondered how much longer it would be before it completely gave out altogether. "I wonder if can ask for a new one."

Her train of thought was broken however, as the door finally open wide enough to reveal Miss Ellyn. Tigress eyes darted to the path of the door and she nearly cried out a warning, but it was too late, as the heavy set door, knocked over the line of dominos she arranged last night. Tigress watched as one by one her dominos fell, the gold tint painted along their surface reflecting the morning light, following the path of the wooden blocks as they formed a pattern of a leaf. It was a beautiful sight reminding her of the compassion Shifu showed her, but nonetheless she released a solemn sigh. With all the clutter and torn strips of cloth, Tigress had very little room to set up a stunning and breathe taking design. She realized then that later she would have to do something about the state of her room.

Her attention was drawn back to the door and the caretaker Ellyn. The sheep stood a fair distance away from the door, and held an expression to match her tone. "You know the rules Tigress. You are to stay in the far corner of the main square while the rest of the children play, once it's time for breakfast and the square is empty, you will clean everything up before returning to your room for your own meal."

_Same old routine._ Tigress thought, eyeing the far wall and the small piles of bowls and plates, some of them still had spoiled food stained into the glass while others laid about the ground in pieces. As the young tiger began to gather up her dominos she turned face Ellyn, a small smile forming on her face as she asked hopefully, "If I get the square cleaned before breakfast is over, can I set up my dominos?"

A cruel smile formed on the sheep's face as she replied simply. "We'll see, now come along."

Tigress sat in a far off corner of the playground, her body concealed in darkness. As like so many times before, she watched as the other children played, all of them running about with cheerful smiles. They were in the midst of a game called kick ball, she had often tried to join in on their merriment before in the past, but she only ended up hurting some of the kids, thus the reason why she was forced to sit here.

"Hey Tigress?"

Tigress's head jerked up, tightening her grip on the small bag in her lap and saw a group of kids standing before her. One of them—a small bunny—looked at her with a friendly smile on his face. Darting her eyes from side to side, Tigress could make out similar smiles on the others. It was admittedly the strangest thing she had ever seen. It was not that she had never seen a smile before, but whenever someone were to look at her it would always be with expression of fear.

"What do you want?" she asked in a timid voice.

"We were wondering if you were going to set up your dominos again," the bunny said.

"Yeah," a young duck added, "last time you did was amazing."

"I…don't know," she stammered. It would be a lot of fun, but as she gazed beyond the group, she spotted Ellyn eyeing her with a narrow expression. "Sorry, but I can't."

The kids released a depressing sigh, though did not press the matter as they went back to their game. Tigress kept a close eye on them and felt a sense of envy knowing she would never know what it felt to simply play with others.

"Hey Monster!" someone shouted, "Heads up!"

Before she knew what happened, a large ball smacked her squarely in the face. The blow left her seeing stars and once her vision cleared she could see Bron and Bane laughing at her from across the square. "Sorry there, Monster!" Bron shouted.

"Yeah," Bane added in between fits of laughter, "Hope we didn't ruin your good looks."

"Are you kidding Bane?" Bron asked taking hold of his brother, "If you ask me we've merely improved them."

The two water buffalos went on with their merriment, all the while making Tigress feel terrible inside. Normally her anger would get the best of her and she would have attacked the two brutes, but she knew that if Shifu were here, he would tell her not to allow her emotions to control her actions and remain centered. After taking a few breaths to steady herself, Tigress gathered her dominos and shifted deeper into the shadows. She was about to turn her gaze away from the children when she heard one of them call out with, "Hey Tigress, how about kicking the ball back over here?"

A look of confusion formed on her face, glancing down, she was surprised to see the ball was still there. "I don't…"

"Come on Tigress," a young pig encouraged her, "you can do it."

"Are you dense," Bane said, "that there monster has most likely never seen a ball, let alone kicked—"

Bane's ranting came up short as a ball smacked against his head and then amazingly bounced off to hit his brother. The two buffalo looked up to see Tigress standing along the edge of the shadows. She held a playful smirk on her face and said, "Looks like I know how to kick a ball after all." The other kids began to laugh, smiling and pointing at the two brothers, though this only served to enrage Bron, causing him to drive a foot against the ball, causing it to burst.

"No one laughs at me!" the water buffalo sneered, stomping his feet about the ground, snorting angrily, Bron then ran head long for a group of kids. Those in his path screamed, running out of his way, but Bron was relentless, and with his brother joining in, terrorizing the young ones by knocking over boxes and barrels, there seemed to be no safe place for them to hide.

Tigress stood back watching it all from within the shadows as the two water buffalos went on a rampage all the while Ellyn merely stood back, completely unfazed by their actions. It struck to her core that she would allow this to happen. Wasn't it her job to protect the children here? Tigress wanted to do something, but fear held her back. "What if I hurt someone?" The Tiger cautioned herself, when suddenly a cry for help drew her drew her attention and she looked up to see Bane holding the same bunny who sought to befriend her early by the ears. "We'll show you it's not nice to laugh at us," Bane said, "Come on Bron, lets teach him a lesson he won't forget."

"With pleasure," Bron said as he readied himself to charge when suddenly, something bumped into his side, sending him skidding across the ground.

"Let him go Bane," Tigress said, standing where Bron was mere moments ago.

"Or what," Bane said in a mocking tone, "Monster?"

Tigress narrowed her eyes, the desire to punch the crazed brute straight in the face ran high, but knew it would not settle things, Bane would still be a jerk and everyone would still fear her, but she couldn't just stand by and let this happen. Jumping from where she stood, Tigress took hold of Bane's arm and gave it a firm twist. The brute released a sharp cry thereby dropping the bunny. Tigress shifted her stance to catch the young one as he fell and gently lowered him to the ground; she then released Bane's hand and slowly backed away making sure to stand between the bunny and the water buffalos.

"Tigress!"

Tigress snapped her head over to see Ellyn making her way toward her. She held her bamboo cane up and an expression of annoyance plastered about her face. The sheep marched past Bane to stand before the young tiger and said in a harsh tone, "You know the rules, no fighting."

Tigress's eyes snapped wide open with shock. How could she even say such a thing? She didn't start this fight. She was only trying to protect the bunny, like Shifu would.

"Miss Ellyn," the bunny said in a nerves voice, "it wasn't Tigress's fault, she saved me from—"

"Quiet you," Ellyn snapped, "I know what I saw. Now go back to your corner Tigress."

Tigress stood her ground before the enraged sheep. She did nothing wrong, so why did she have to take the blame? Her eyes drifted toward the bamboo cane, knowing full well that Ellyn would not hesitant to use it on her. Releasing a low sigh, Tigress turned and went back to the shadows. The caretakers soon arrive, calmly guiding the children toward the dining hall, while they took Bron and Bane off to see the healer, Tigress couldn't help but smile at the weeping expression on Bane's face as he held up his twisted arm, yet her moment was lost when she took note of the angry expression on Bron, making it cleared she had made an enemy in the young water buffalo. _So what else is new?_ She thought with a huff as she waited for the square to be cleared so she could get to work. The sooner she could, the sooner she could set up her dominos.

Tigress spent the next few minutes cleaning the square. She had to be quick about it so she could set up her dominos. Normally her chores brought her nothing but grief and tears, but this time she was all smiles. She even found herself humming a song she heard the caretakers played several times to lull the children to sleep. Sitting back in the middle of the room, she gazed over her handy work, nearly done with just enough time to set up a quick design when she heard a clicking sound and turned to see Ellyn. "Oh hi," Tigress said with a smile, "are the others almost done eating breakfast? I'm just about finished here so I was hoping to…" she trailed off as she noticed that the sheep hadn't said anything, merely stood there eyeing her with those narrow eyes, an expression she knew all too well.

"I'm not pleased with what you did Tigress," Ellyn final spoke walking toward the wall.

"How can you say that?" Tigress asked standing up, "I saved the children from those two brutes."

"We both know what you did." Ellyn said her voice cold and harsh. "What you always do. You nearly killed those two."

"But…I had to do something," Tigress stammered. "What did you expect me to do just sit back and watch it happen?"

"Yes!" Ellyn snapped, "What those two brothers did this morning would have left nothing but mere bruises that would easily heal over time, but with you and your uncontrollable strength, you could have killed them."

"It wouldn't have happened," Tigress said defending herself, but even to herself, her voice sounded hollow, "Shifu helped me to control my strength. I'm not like that anymore. I can act like a normal person."

"Please," Ellyn said coming closer to the wall, "you and I both know that you have no real control and no amount of playing with stupid wooden blocks will ever change your true nature…monster." She then stopped coming to a rest before a large barrel and added, "Now clean up this mess."

Tigress was not overly hurt by Ellyn's comment, she had heard it all her life, and sadly knew that even if Shifu were to come and take her away from this place she would always be seen as a monster, though when she told her clean up the mess, Tigress turned to glanced about the room noticing that the grounds had been fully swept, the boxes and sacks of fruits that Bron and Bane knocked over, were neatly stack and placed in their positions.

What else was there left to clean?

Tigress slowly turned back to face Ellyn, the confused expression on her face became one of shock and disbelief as she realized where the caretaker was standing. The elder sheep stood before the barrel they used to catch all the runoff from the drains. It had rained the past week and it was filled to the rim with sludge. A cruel smile formed on the sheep's face as she tipped the barrel over allowing the foul slop to spill about the ground. Tigress growled as she watched the caretaker stroll off, the harshness in her voice as clear as day, "I want that filth cleaned up before the children are done eating. Sadly, it won't give you enough time to play with your dominos."

Tears began to rim her eyes as she heard the faint hints of laughter as Ellyn disappeared down the hallway. Her sadness became one of rage as she raised her hands up in tight fist. She couldn't believe that sheep could be so cruel, and they all called HER a monster? Realizing that there was nothing she could do about it, Tigress picked up her bucket and went back to work, her cheerful spirit from before now completely forgotten.

Sometime later, Tigress now sat in her room against the side of her bed. It had taken a great deal of effort, and her hands were aching from all the scrubbing, but she managed to clean the mess Ellyn had caused, though true to the sheep's claims, it left her with no free time to set up her dominos. A bowl of cold soup and dry old bread rested beside her, though she found no desire to eat, all she did was sit along the edge of her bed clutching the satchel, rocking back and forth to cause the small wooden blocks inside to clink together, the gentle sound being the only thing that seem to soothe her heartache.

Sounds of merriment ringed in her ears from outside. It would be awhile before one of the caretakers brought her something to eat for lunch, she only hope that Ellyn was not the one who brought it. Right now that sheep was the last person she ever wanted to see. She hated Ellyn with every fiber in her body after what she did today. Allowing those two brutes to terrorize the other children and then blame her for it all, even though Tigress was the one who tried to stop them when it should have been her job?

Tigress wasn't sure when it happened exactly, but even she was beginning to see that Ellyn was becoming more and more obvious with her contempt of the young Tigress. Looking down at her hands sensing the subtle extension of her claws, images of them wrapping around that old sheep's throat began to form and unknown to her, a smile began to form along her face as she found herself tightening her grip.

A loud knock against her door shattered the image before Tigress's eyes causing her to take several deep breaths to ease her shaken heart. How could she even think of such a thing? Shifu would be so ashamed of her if he were to know about this. The knocking then returned, longer this time, causing Tigress to look towards the door, a confused expression forming on her face. It was too early for lunch, and she could still hear the sounds of the children playing from outside.

"Who could that be?"

A third knock sounded though, this time followed by a surprising low voice, "Tigress, are you in there?"

"That's a stupid question," Tigress replied sharply, "where else would I be?" She was only ever allowed outside in the morning when it came time to cleaning the square.

"I'm sorry Tigress," the voice said, "I didn't know."

"Just who are you," Tigress demanded in a harsh voice, her eyes narrowing at the door.

"It me, the bunny you saved from Bane."

"You?" Tigress asked while bolting from her bed and jumping up toward the bars near the top of the door. Peering through the narrow gaps, she released a quiet gasp at realizing it really was the bunny boy from the square. The little creature, held up a small lit candle to illuminate his features, as he stood about the darken hallway. Even in the middle of the day, there was still very little light this far inside the orphanage. Tigress was a little bit amazed to see that he didn't look one bit afraid to be in front of her door. "What are you doing here? Don't you know this is the door to the Monster's lair?"

The bunny released a playful laugh. "You're no monster Tigress, you saved my life. If anything, you're a hero."

"It takes more than one kind act to make me a hero," Tigress replied, though smiled at the kindness in the bunny's voice.

"Well it does to me," the bunny said with a smile. "Oh, I almost forgot, my name is Kusa, and I would like it if we could be friends."

Those words caused Tigress to fall from the door, her heart beat racing. She didn't know what to think. No one had ever wanted to be her friend other than Shifu, and according to Ellyn, he only acted that way was because it was a part of his mission. Could she really take the risk that this Kusa was doing the same thing, merely pretending to be her friend until he no longer needed to be?

"Tigress?" Kusa whispered. "Tigress I'm sorry if I said something to offend you. I really want to be your friend. Even if you don't want to, know that I'll always think of you as one."

"No!" Tigress said in rush, pressing herself against the door as if she could give Kusa a hug, "I…I would be grateful to call you my friend."

"Great," she heard Kusa reply, "maybe we can play tag sometime."

"But I don't know how. The last time I tried I really hurt someone."

"Don't worry, I'll show you how. It'll be a lot fun. Well, see you around, friend."

Tigress sat completely still listening to the sounds of the bunny's footstep as they faded off into the distance, all the while a single thought ringed in her mind. _I have a friend!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Jade Palace…**

Po's life in the Jade Palace proved to be some of the most thrilling ever. He spent most of his morning training kung fu, watching Tai Lung perform each step and then mimicking them, adding a few touches to help it flow easier. Shifu expressed a great deal of amusement in the ease of the panda's training and often enough saying how gifted he was. Following that, Po began a set of chores that Oogway gave him. The list itself was not very long, though the effort in fulfilling each task proved to be more of a handful, from carrying bucket loads of water up and down the thousand steps, to dusting the top of shelves without the use of a step ladder. After a few days, his body began to adjust with the added benefit of muscle bulk and increase stamina along with his kung fu skill.

His trips back home were also some of the best time as well as he got to spend them with his father, showing off his kung fu skills while at the same time learning a few more cooking recipes. The shop was showing great progress in profit, Ping saying that things should be back to normal soon and he could return home for good. However this raised a problem in the back of Po's mind, in his heart, he wanted to be with his dad in the shop, another part of him desired to live the role of a kung fu warrior and one day be seen as a true Master and not just some panda.

Tai Lung proved to be a lot fun, despite his tough as nail outward appearance, Po could see there was something deep inside of the snow leopard, a playful grin that seemed to rise to the surface each time they were together, whether it was during training or sharing a meal. Tai Lung would often spend hours on end talking about the legendry Dragon Scroll held high above the Moon Pool in the gaping jaw of the gold serpentine dragon statue, said to grant those who read upon the scroll all the secrets of kung fu and endless power, and although Po felt deeply impressed and spellbound by the sight of the scroll, he knew it was not something meant for him to gaze upon, and so, Po mainly focused on his daily chores and training, awaiting the day he would return to his simple life in the valley.

It had been roughly two month since Po came to live in the Jade Palace, and after a long morning of training, Po found himself hard at work at another of his favorite past time, cooking.

Perched atop a small stool, Po took several deep breaths before chopping a number of unions, carrots and radishes. He couldn't stop from giggling at how quickly his hand move, his training in kung fu aiding to sharpen his reflects. Once done, Po tipped the cutting board over, adding them to a pot of boiling noodles, then reached up to grab a few spices to enhance the flavor, unknown to the young panda, Po did not need to stretch as far as he normally would have. Having grown several inches in the past few weeks, it would not be long before he would no longer have need of the stool to get around the kitchen.

As the soup shimmered, thoughts of home drifted through his mind. Would his father be making his latest batch of his Secret Ingredient Soup? Would the town folk mention him as anything other than the lonesome panda, or worse, Fatso? Po patted a hand against his stomach, though he still carried a good a deal of weight it was off by the steady development of ab muscle.

"If I were to keep this training up," Po whispered to himself, "it won't be long until they won't be able to call me Fatso ever again."

"And who calls you that?"

Po glanced over his shoulder, a grin forming at the sight of Tai Lung, standing before the door way. "Hi Tai Lung," Po said in an attempt to avoid Tai Lung question staying clear of the snow leopard's eyes. "You're just in time for lunch. Have a seat."

"Sorry," Tai Lung said, his gaze firmly locked on Po, "as much as it pains me to miss out on your soup, I'm mainly waiting for Shifu. Now, who's been calling you Fatso?"

"Curse your ears," Po snapped, his head hung low, "it was a while ago, shortly before coming to live here."

"Go on," Tai Lung said with a wave of his hand.

"You're not going to let this matter drop are you?"

A cruel playful smile formed on Tai Lung's face. "Nope."

Po released a low sigh then filled two bowls and sat down at the table. "Like I said this happened before coming here, back then a lot of villagers often made fun of me because of my weight. They called me Fatso, Tubby, or Wide-bottom. It got even worse sometime when I'd be eating a meal in my father's shop and some of the villagers would say, 'There's that panda, better keep a close eye on your bowl'. It got so bad at time, often enough I just stayed up in my room until they all left."

"I'm sorry to hear that Po," Tai Lung said, "you would think some of Oogway's teaching of acceptance would rub off on the villagers, but with being the only panda in China tend to make things difficult for people to act accordingly."

"It's alright; it doesn't bother me as much anymore."

"And why is that?"

"I have an uncle who drops by every so often and during his last visit be caught me crying after being hounded by another bout of teasing and well after I explained, he told me something. Titles don't make you what you are, so long as you stay true to what you are in your heart then nothing else matters."

Tai Lung released a playful chuckle. "So tell me Po," he asked, "what do you see in your heart?"

"Well that's easy," Po said, his tone calm, though even to him, his voice sounded hollow, "once Dad gets the shop back on its feet, I'm going to go home and cook noodles."

Tai Lung's grin faded to be replaced with a stern expression. "You don't mean that, do you?"

"Uh…what?"

"Po," Tai Lung said, "with your skills in kung fu, even after such a short time, you could easily become a true master."

"What me," Po stammered, "no way!" But even as he sought to deny the possibility, a part of him was thrilled by the idea. "There no way I can become a Master, I'm just a panda."

Tai Lung released a steady growl, his eyes narrow as he said, "And I thought you said titles didn't matter."

Po leaned back in his chair, looking rather ashamed to have his own words thrown back at him. "Tai…"

"Oh there you are."

Po glanced over to the door, and quickly stood at the sight of Shifu, "Greeting Master Shifu," Po said with a solemn bow, "I have bit of extra soup if you want some."

"Oh no," Shifu said, though smile as he sniffed the air, "maybe later, though for right now, I have some important business with Tai Lung in the Great Hall."

"Can I come?" Po asked.

"Afraid not," Shifu said, his stern and cold, something Po had come to expect from his teacher, "this matter is for Masters," he paused, a smile forming about his face and went on in a more cheerful tone, "beside I thought you were going to visit your father today."

A smile formed on Po's face. As much as he enjoyed his time here, he loved being with his father that much more. "Thank you Master Shifu."

With that he rushed out of the kitchen, though on the way out he heard Shifu's voice. "Come mu son, time to embrace your destiny."

Dad's noodle shop was rather busy by the time Po entered the dining hall; more so than normal which he took as a good sign that profit was on the raise. He received the usual greeting of a solemn wave from the local villagers and before he knew it, his dad was upon him with a loving hug.

"Po," Ping said in a frantic state, "I'm so glad you're here."

"Ah come on Dad," Po replied with a chuckle, "you saw me yesterday."

"Yes," Ping said pulling the panda toward the kitchen door, "but yesterday, I wasn't so busy. Now come along," he paused to wrap an apron around his son, "I have four orders ready for tables, eight, three and twelve, with another six on the way." Ping then handed Po a large tray loaded with bowls of soup and dumpling, then began to push him back into the dining hall.

"Table twelve?" Po whispered, "wow, Dad really must be getting busy again if he needed to add on more tables."

After several hours of waiting on tables, the crowd began to thin as the villagers went back to their daily lives. As Po busied himself with cleaning the dining hall, he glanced up toward the Jade Palace, his thoughts turning to Tai Lung. Normally by this time of day, he'd be hard at work mastering his skills or reading those fancy scrolls in the Great Hall. If he were lucky, he might catch him before he left for his nightly patrol.

"Po, kindly give me a hand with these bags."

Po turned and quickly went off to help his father, took hold one of the bags and effortlessly placed it about his shoulder.

"My word Po," Ping said, a look of surprise covering the goose's face. "You've grown quite strong these past few months."

"Maybe," Po said admiring his own physical strength, "but I'm nowhere near as strong as Tai Lung. Boy if he were here, he'd be able to carry all the bags here without so much as breaking a sweat."

"You really hold him at such a high praise," Ping commented making his way up the stairs to the storage room.

"I can't help it Dad," Po said while following his father, "he's the best…" he paused so as to lower his voice to that of a soft whisper, "…_I would give anything to be just like him_."

As they reached the second floor, Ping opened a nearby door, having to step aside to allow Po to slip past. Upon entering it, the young panda gently placed the bag about the ground and began to look about the room. A room that at one point not too long ago was once his. Not much had changed since the last time he came up here. To the right of the door stood a wall length group of shelves, loaded with a number of pots, pans and fine dishes, used only during festivals or birthday. Directly across from them stood a number of barrels and packs filled with an assortment of grain and fruit, and in the middle of it was a large bed with a wooden end table along its side. Making his way toward the bed, Po brushed a hand along its smooth surface to reveal not so much as a layer of dust along the thick cloth. A glint of light flashed before him and looked up to see the sun's rays reflecting off a small picture frame. Looking closer, a smile began to form as he realized it was a very curd drawing of him and his father, both with cheerful expression, his dad wearing that goofy hat with a black pot of noodle in between them. As his smile turned into a faint chuckle, he could feel a tear rolling down his cheek, to think his father held on to this all this time—though short as it had been. He turned back to face his father, but Ping had already left causing Po to chuckle knowing him, the old goose was already hard at work at trying to pay off his debt so they could be together again.

Hanging the picture back along the wall, Po went back for another load of supplies, though paused as he took note of Tai Lung out in the dining hall.

"Hey there buddy," Po said in a surprise voice, "didn't expect to see you here."

"Neither did I," Tai Lung said in a solemn tone, "I've just got a lot on my mind and just needed someplace quiet to think."

"Well you best be quick about it," Ping said stepping up to the counter, his voice firm though there was a slight cringe in his expression as the snow leopard released a low growl. "I mean…to say…that the dinner rush will be coming in soon and this place tends to be rather noisy then. Heck it gets so bad, even I can't hear myself think."

"Don't worry about my dad," Po said in a playful manner taking a seat beside his friend. "So what's on your mind?"

"It's about the Dragon Scroll."

"Really?" Po said with a wide grin. "So can you tell me what it was like after you read it, or is it some ultra huge mega big kung fu secret?"

Tai Lung raised his head to face Po, yet his gaze was rooted far beyond the young panda, to a point not so long ago where he nearly allowed his emotion to get the best of his.


End file.
